Way Out of My League
by Doubleminor20
Summary: A different spin on Toradora, starting from Episode 24 and going on a different storyline. Main focus is blatantly AmixMinori, may bring in the other characters later. My first fanfiction, so don't be hating. Hoping to make a full story out of this. DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, creators of Toradora own everything, including my heart and soul!
1. Chapter 1: This New Feeling

**Chapter 1**

The front door shut with a tone of finality to it that all but Minori would have not picked up on. She stood there next to Kawashima Ami, her hand still raised in a goodbye while her other arm was resting on Ami's shoulder.

The taller girl, who had picked up on the slight tightening of Minori's arm around her neck earlier, finally asked, "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Man… I'm so tired I can't even stand…" Ami heard Minori say in a slur as she slumped to the ground.

"Hey, what are you-"

Ami suddenly cut herself off when she saw Minori crying on the ground, her happy façade having faded away like footprints in a blizzard.

"Wait, why are you crying?" Ami asked, very confused.

"Tears… just mean that your heart…. has a nosebleed…" Minori managed to say between sobs.

"But why are you crying? Is it because Taiga was taken from you by Ryuuji?"

"I don't know. I had promised myself that I wouldn't cry anymore…" Minori had pulled her knees to her chest at this point.

Ami gave her a sad smile and said, "Pathetic," as she moved to sit down next to her.

Minori sniffled and said "But I learned something."

"What?"

"If you trip running through the halls, your nose bleeds. When you trip in life, you cry."

Ami gave a blank look for just a second, like she didn't know how to respond to this. Then she regained her calm demeanor and threw her head back, saying, " _Baka._ We're too young to go all philosophic on life. We still have many years ahead of us."

Minori shifted her gaze even lower. "But my heart feels like it's gone through that many years already." _"And look where it's gotten me. Nowhere but heartbreak and nosebleeds."_

Though the redhead could not see, there was internal struggle evident on the model's face. _"It's obvious that she's still crushed over losing both her love and best friend. For some reason I want to be the one who pulls her out of this. Why? Why do I care so much? Why is my heart aching over her like this?"_

The model then decided that until she understood the feelings that were dominating her thoughts, she would play it cool with Minori and not let her catch on. But that doesn't mean that the bluenette couldn't show Minori some compassion, one of the many things she had gained from her friendship with the redhead and the others in their group.

Ami wrapped her arms around the strawberry head's shoulders and pulled her in close.

 _Thump, Thump. Thump, Thump._

Minori felt her heart start thudding in her chest, not loud enough for Ami to hear but just enough to make Minori confused. _"What? My heart is beating fast. What is going on?"_ Minori felt a blush creep onto her face, so she hid it into Ami's chest.

Ami felt a similar redness come over her face.

" _Well, whatever this is, I know that I want more of it."_

The model let this thought envelop her mind as she sat there comforting Minori with a small smile on her face, content with sitting like this forever.


	2. Chapter 2: Morning

**Chapter 2:** **Morning**

The birds were chirping in the early morning as the sunlight shone in through the bedroom window. The loud sounds of cars start to envelop the city, signaling the arrival of a new day.

Ami's eyes opened groggily, still tired from having gone to bed so late the other night. She tried to sit up to gauge the damage sleep had done to her hair, but found she could not as a heavy, warm weight was sitting on her chest. Unsure as to what could be under the covers, the model pulled them back, only to emit a quiet squeal of surprise and shock.

A certain redhead had her arms wrapped around Ami's body with her head resting on the bluenette's chest, only the clothes both girls were wearing separating them. Ami's face went from pale white to deep crimson red. _"What?! How… When did Minori get here?"_

Ami then finally looked around the room, her eyes resting on a pillow and blanket on the floor next to the bed. The events of the night before suddenly come back to the model like a flood.

" _Oh yeah, that's right. I was comforting her and by the time she was done crying, it was nearly 2 in the morning, so I had her sleep here for the night. I guess she must have crawled up in my bed while I was sleeping."_

Ami, finally recovering from her shock, hesitantly put a hand on the shorter girl's head. Minori stirred in her sleep and gave a pleasant sigh, seemingly relaxed by the model's touch.

 _ **Thump, Thump.**_

Ami could feel her heart pounding again, along with that same strange feeling from last night washing over her. She smiled softly. _"Again with this? What is wrong with me? Why am I noticing all these little things? Like her intoxicating smell, how funny she looks with drool dribbling out of her mouth, or how cute she looks with the sunlight hitting her face at just the right angle-"_

Ami's hand flew to her mouth as she gasped, her eyes wide with shock and realization. She shook her head slowly, as if to deny the reality. _"No… It can't be. I'm not… I'm not in love with her, am I? I can't be. I just got over Ryuuji. I can't already be in love again …"_ But her beating heart and quivering body say it all.

She… was in love again.

What Ami had failed to notice is that with all her quivering and gasping, Minori had started to wake up. The redhead sleepily opened her eyes and yawned, only then lifting her head to glance at her surroundings. What she saw was Ami's scared and surprised violet eyes staring back at her. Minori's eyes widened and she froze in shock, unable to comprehend why she was in Ami's bed with her. She then remembered climbing into the bed last night, and the blood suddenly rushed to her face. She dropped her head in embarrassment, unable to meet the bluenette's purple orbs.

This state of awkward shock was kept for a few seconds until Ami hesitantly said, "Um… Ohayo Minori. Why are you… in my bed?"

Minori, now shaking from the embarrassment, tried to say something, but no words would come out. _"I don't know what to say, how to explain this…"_ So she did the only thing she could do. She ran.

She suddenly sprang up, grabbed all her things from the makeshift bed on the floor, and sprinted out of the room and down the hallway, only stopping to shout "Arigato for letting me stay last night" very shakily and loudly before slamming the front door behind her.

Ami, now sitting up in her bed, had reached out her hand to prevent Minori from leaving. After the redhead shut the door behind her, Ami remained motionless in bed, staring off into space. "Why did I try to stop her? Do I really want her this much?"

" _One thing is for certain though: I have some feelings for her. I guess I'll see how the next few days pan out, see if this is just a crush or… something more."_

Minori flew out the door, flying down the street as fast as her legs could carry her. Since she was an athlete, this was imaginably pretty damn fast. The wind whipped in her face, causing the flowing tears to create a liquid jetstream behind her.

" _I can't believe that just happened. I can't like her, can I? I mean, her smile was so sweet when she was looking at me, and she looked cute with her mild bedhead, and- Oh no, not again. Please…"_

By now, the redhead had reached her house. She ran in through the front door and straight up to her room, yelling acknowledgement to her parents on the way by. She burst into her room and shut the door behind her, her back sliding down it until she was on the floor, trying to wipe her tears. It took a while, but eventually she was able to plug the nosebleed of her heart. She sighed heavily, deep in thought.

" _I guess I've liked her for a while now. Ever since we finally settled our differences and negative thoughts during the ski trip. We started being friendlier to each other. I guess I haven't thought about Ryuuji all that much since that trip, at least not until last night. But why her? Why must God torture me with feelings for people who will never love me back?"_

Minori got up and walked over to the bed, resigning to her mind and body exhausted from crying so much within 24 hours. She thought about Ami and how she was going to handle her emotions this time, and it wasn't long before she fell into a deep slumber.

 **A/N:** Hey all! I'm sorry I didn't leave an author's note at the end of the last chapter, still figuring out how all of this works. Welcome to my rendition of how Ami and Minori might've gotten together! I read the few stories of this couple match on the site, and thought that they might have been a good match for each other, so I decided on them for my first story. I will make this as long as I can, but I don't think I can do it alone. I will need all of you to help me!

Please read and review, maybe drop some ideas on how I could go about this. I already have the next chapter outlined out, so I got a decent head start. But I could use some help for later chapters and events. I would be thankful for any help you could offer and will readily consider all ideas!

I will try to update as often as I can get the chapters out, but I'm trying to keep them within a week at the latest. I don't always have time, being a busy college student with only a month left in the semester. So if I can't keep a routine schedule, just know that I'm doing my best for you guys.

Thanks to all, and hope you like the chapter. See you all next week!


	3. Chapter 3: Awkward

**Chapter 3:** **Awkward**

It had been nearly a week since that night. Everyone seemingly returned to normal. That is, except for Ryuuji, who was still a little crestfallen over the departure of Taiga. He did his best to keep a smile up for everyone at school. This depressed mode of his seemed to reflect the situations of Ami and Minori, who hadn't spoken very much to each other since then. The only times they saw each other were when they absolutely couldn't avoid it. Even then, they never said more than 2 words to each other, both too afraid to say more for fear of how the other would react. Ami had tried to approach Minori when she did see her, but the redhead always managed to elude her.

The group had gathered for lunch in their usual spot, eating quietly. Ryuuji kept stealing wishful glances at the spot that Taiga used to inhabit. Ami and Minori were doing their best to not be interested in each other, only stealing glances when they thought the other wasn't looking. Kitamura sat very still, trying not to cause any more tension in the already complicated situation.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and leaned over to Ryuuji next to him, whispering, "Hey, what's up with Kushieda and Ami? It doesn't seem like they've wanted to be near each other in the last few days. You notice anything?"

Ryuuji, broken from his depressed state, looked up at his friend, then turned his attention to the two girls. His face took on a concentrated expression as he examined their movements. Finally having come to a conclusion, he turned to Kitamura and whispered back, "Now that you mention it, I have noticed some stuff like that happening recently."

"Do you think we should ask them about it?"

"I don't know… Is it really our business?"

"We're their friends. Who could they talk to if not us?"

"Point taken. Alright, let's give it a try."

Both boys turned back to face the girls. Kitamura cleared his throat to gain their attention. "Guys, is there something going on between you two? We noticed that both of you haven't been talking much to each other lately, so we wanted to say something…"

Both Ami and Minori turned bright shades of red. They glanced at each other and quickly looked away, their faces getting redder by the second.

It was now Ryuuji who spoke up. "Come on, Kushieda-san. Kawashima-san. You two can't ignore each other forever. Why don't you try talking?"

Ami then shot the redhead a venomous look. "Because she won't even come near me, let alone talk to me." She said in a low whisper just loud enough for Minori to hear.

Minori whirled around, her face now clouded with annoyance. "You know damn well why that is, too!"

"No, I don't! Why do you think I've been trying to approach you this whole time, but you kept running away!"

"I wasn't running away!" Minori shouted, causing the whole class to turn around and look at the group.

This scene kept up for a few seconds before Minori burst up out of her seat and fled from the room using one of the two doors, trying to avoid anyone seeing the tears in her eyes, most of all Ami.

Ami sat there shocked for a second, before calmly getting up and walking out of the room as well, using the other door.

The two boys of the group were considerably shocked, considering Minori had always kept a lid on her emotions and never snapped like that. When they recovered, Kitamura immediately went into salvage mode. "Ryuuji, go talk to Kushieda. I'll handle Ami."

Ryuuji nodded and jumped up from his seat, moving to the door that Minori ran out of. Kitamura stood up with a heavy sigh and moved to the opposite door. _"I have a pretty good idea of where she's gone. I just hope I can fix this mess."  
_

* * *

As Kitamura had suspected, Ami had ran to her usual hiding place: hiding between the two vending machines by the stairs. It was a spot she traveled to often, as it allowed her to be alone and almost no one knew that she was ever there. Unfortunately for her, Kitamura was one of those people.

He crept up slowly, making sure he didn't scare her into running away again. To his astonishment, he could hear sniffling coming from the spot. Ami never cried, not anymore. Her old modeling lifestyle wouldn't allow it from her. So for her to cry about something, it had to be something important that she wanted badly enough.

He finally reached the spot and looked down with a concerned face. Ami was a mess, with red blotchy eyes and tear marks streaked down her face. Her hands were shaky and wet from wiping all the tears. She looked up at Kitamura with empty eyes. The boy was torn by this look.

"Ami, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

The bluenette took a minute to collect herself before speaking. When she was ready, she took a deep breath and explained the events from the week before to Kitamura.

The young man listened to her story carefully and intently, secretly marveling at how much her childhood friend has grown over the past year. _"She's really learned to care about other people more. I'm not surprised that she has found love, but I never expected it to be Kushieda."_

When Ami finished her story, Kitamura sat back and considered the best course to take. Ami looked up at him and said, "Yusaku, what should I do? I think I may like her, but I've never felt like this about anyone before. I mean, I've had both girlfriends and boyfriends, but this is different."

"How is it different?"

"She makes me feel like I can be myself in public without worrying what people think of me. She's part of the reason I feel so at home with our whole group. She's just annoying enough that it's endearing. She… she makes me happy, happier than I've ever felt in my whole life."

"Then it sounds like you should go for it."

Ami fidgeted in her cramped space, a nervous chill crawling up her spine. "But what if she doesn't like me back? What if she's not into girls like that?"

Kitamura knelt down so that his eyes were level with Ami's and gave her a caring smile. "I'm sure she likes you back. It's obvious to see in her movements and expressions. I think she is just afraid. Afraid of another failure like her crush on Ryuuji, and scared of her own feelings, since she's never been in love with a girl before. I got Ryuuji talking to her now, and I'm positive that he can help her make sense of her thoughts and emotions. Just give her a little time. And when it's time to talk to her, tell her how you feel, or she will never know and you will always regret it."

The model was silent for a moment, then nodded and slowly got up. She put her hand on his shoulder, a rare gesture for her ( _"This week is full of rare moments for me"_ ), and gave a timid half smile. "Thank you, Yusaku. I needed that, and I will definitely try my best with what you said. You're right, I just have to keep my head up. Who knew that you were such a love guru?" She snickered at him jokingly. She got the reaction she wanted, as his face went red instantly and steam seemed to shoot out of his ears.

Ami gave a small giggle, then said, "Come on, we should get back. Lunch is about over." She began the walk back to the room, Kitamura close behind her.

* * *

" _Come on, Minori. Where are you?"_

This thought passed through Ryuuji's mind many times as he ran through the halls, peeking his head through doors and down hallways, trying desperately to find some sign of the athlete somewhere. It wasn't long before he reached the main entrance, the last place he hadn't checked yet. He could suddenly hear some scuffling and silent cursing from behind a row of shoe lockers.

He turned the corner to find Minori desperately attempting to put her shoes on as fast as she could, wiping her eyes continuously at the same time. He made a movement towards her, which caught her attention. She let out a loud yelp and lost her balance, falling to the ground hard.

"Minori?! Are you all right?" Ryuuji leapt to her side, doing a quick physical assessment. Her elbow had been banged up pretty badly and was bleeding a little from a small cut where she made contact with the floor.

The redhead laughed shakily. "Y-Y-Yeah, I'm alright. Gosh, you don't have to make such a big deal out of this, it's nothing."

Ryuuji shook his head and helped Minori to her feet. "Let's get you to the infirmary and get that bandaged up."

The redhead looked like she wanted to resist at first, but quickly gave in and allowed Ryuuji to take her to the infirmary.

Reaching the room quickly, the taller boy guided the redhead to the exam table and sat her down. He then immediately got to work grabbing the necessary materials to fix her arm. Meanwhile, Minori had slumped down and dropped her shoulders, all life seemingly leaving her. Having collected all the supplies, Ryuuji pulled up a chair in front of Minori and went to work disinfecting and bandaging her arm.

No conversation was made as the blue-haired boy worked. He thought hard about what to say to her the entire time. _"How do I approach this? What can I say to help her?"_

Finally finishing the bandage, Ryuuji slumped back in the chair and began to choose his words wisely to say to the girl, who was staring off into space. "Umm… Hey, this feels a little nostalgic, doesn't it?"

Minori finally broke her trance, looking up at Ryuuji. "Eh?"

"You remember? We were in this room a little more than a week ago, patching you up from another injury."

The redhead pondered this for a second, before realization finally dawned on her. She snapped her fingers with a smile and said, "Oh yeah! Now that was a real war wound, that one was!"

Ryuuji smiled, relieved that there was still some of the old Minori left. "Yeah, it really was."

They both had a good laugh about this for a while, but eventually they returned to reality. Ryuuji leaned forward, ready to address the matter at hand. "Minori…" He started softly, looking directly into her eyes before saying, "Why did you run away?"

There was a flash of panic in the redhead's expression, a defense mechanism of sorts, before she became calm again and began to explain the events of the past week.

When she was finished, Ryuuji said, "I see. So you ran away to avoid confronting your emotions with her?"

The athlete could only drop her head, nodding sullenly.

"Do you like her?"

"I-I don't know. My heart starts beating fast when I see her, and I can't seem to think straight. What does that mean?" Minori pleaded, looking to Ryuuji with unsure eyes, desperate to discover the answer.

Ryuuji, having finally figured out recently what those feelings mean, decided to only point Minori in the right direction, as telling it straight to her might scare her off. "Well, it means that you feel something for Ami. What you do with those feelings is for you to decide. Do you want to be just friends with her, or something more?"

Minori contemplated this for a minute or two. _"What do I see her as? I've always seen her as a friend, someone I can count on to help along with the rest of our group. But now, it FEELS like she could be something more. Someone I want to stand beside. But last time I felt that way, it was with this boy in front of me and I just ended up heartbroken. I don't want to go through with that again."_

"Something more, I guess. But I've never felt this way about a girl before. Besides, there's no chance she would want me…"

Ryuuji gave her a questioning look. "Why not?"

The redhead just stared at him like he was crazy. "Uh, have you seen her? She's an international model, beautiful beyond comparison and sought after by many. Why choose me when there are other men or women way more beautiful than me? I'm way out of her league." Minori bowed her head in shame. "I'm just a—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence."

Minori's head shot up to see Ryuuji's eyes ablaze with rage at the idea that she would ever think like that.

"Do not think you are not as good as another person just because you aren't as pretty as they are. As childish as Ami can act on occasion, she isn't conceited enough to not choose you based on that! I won't have you use that as your excuse to shy away from this!"

Minori shrank down in fear, for Ryuuji had never been this angry before. Ever. Period. She criticized herself for thinking such things, guilt suddenly washing over her.

Ryuuji, having calmed himself down, let out a heavy sigh. "You will never know how you truly feel about this or her feelings on the matter until you confront her about it."

Minori, having taken all of this in, suddenly stood up, having come to a decision.

"Alright, I'll try. But how should I do it?"

Ryuuji, somewhat relieved that Minori came to her senses, pondered this for a moment. Then he said, "I don't think that this has to be anything special. Just send her a text tonight or call her, and ask her to meet up. If she's serious about you, she'll definitely show up."

"Okay." By this time, the bell had rung, signaling the resume of classes.

Ryuuji started toward the door and beckoned to the redhead. "Minori, it's time to get back. Come on, before we're late."

Minori nodded, falling into step behind Ryuuji as they left the room.

* * *

 **A/N:** Wow, was that a long chapter! I typed most of this in one day, the ideas and words just kept spilling out of me. I feel like I did pretty well with it, but I'm typing in bursts of random creativity, so I could be wrong. Anyway, next chapter I will handle the confrontation and hopefully go from there.

Please read and review, see you all soon!


	4. Chapter 4: Confrontation

**Chapter 4: Confrontation**

For the remainder of the day, Minori decided on how to go about talking to Ami tonight. She knew she wanted to be completely alone with her, but she didn't know where a good spot was where they were guaranteed privacy and was also easy to access. She decided on a spot by the riverbank, since it would be pretty deserted at that time of night and would be calming enough to help the redhead think straight.

She avoided acknowledging Ami's piercing stares at her back until the final bell, then booked it out of the room and got out of school fast, for she knew she was in no condition to talk to the model now and any conversation would make her lose her nerve. _"I hope she understands. I'll tell her that later tonight. Speaking of which, what all should I say tonight?"_

Minori had this single question on her mind the whole walk home. By the time she arrived, she had decided that all the planning in the world was not going to prepare her for the exposure of this talk. It was then the plan to just say what felt right at the moment, the words she kept in her heart.

The redhead opened the door, yelling that she was home to her parents. She kicked off her shoes and walked up the stairs to her room. She walked in and shut the door behind her, dropping her bag before collapsing in bed. She whipped out her phone and opened a new text message to send to Ami, but paused before she could start typing.

" _What should I say? How do I ask without revealing too much? Do I keep it objective or go informal?"_

She decided on the former and began to formulate her message. After 30 minutes and 10 retries, she finally decided on one that was urgent and to the point.

 _ **Ami,**_

 _ **We need to talk, tonight. Meet me by the riverbank at 8:00. There's something I have to say to you, face to face.**_

 _ **Minori**_

Satisfied with her message, Minori shut her phone and moved to her closet to pick out what to wear for tonight.

* * *

There was a light snowfall descending from the night sky, giving the evening almost a tranquil feel for Ami as she walked along the sidewalk. When she first received Minori's text, she was incredibly happy that Minori wanted to talk. But then, she thought of how this conversation can go one of two ways, and her hopes dropped. _"What if she tells me that she doesn't like me like that? No, that can't be it. She would just tell me it then, why go through all this?"_

The model decided she had to show up, no matter what she was told. She owed that much to the redhead. Ami then had to decide what to wear. She didn't feel going all formal was a good idea, but also didn't want to dress down too much. She decided on some tight blue jeans, a loose-fitting blouse under a black parka with a blue scarf, and some casual heels.

Now on her way to the meeting spot, Ami shivered a little from the cold. The mild cold that still seemed to pierce through all her layers. It couldn't have been less than 30 degrees, yet she was freezing. " _I must be nervous."_

She turned a corner and began walking down the path towards the riverbank. She could feel her pulse racing faster with each step she took. She came around a bend in the path, and there ahead, under a street lamp that glowed upon her like a light from Heaven, was Minori. She wore a pair of faded jeans with a pink coat and tennis shoes. Ami stopped in her tracks, frozen with the impact pf what this conversation means. It took a little time to work up her courage again, finally trudging forward after a minute or so.

Minori looked up from her phone as Ami approached, giving a light sigh and putting her phone away, turning to face the model.

"Hey," said the athlete, a small smile appearing on her face. "Thanks for coming. I'm sorry I booked it out of school before we could talk, I just didn't want to lose my nerve."

Ami gave a pouty look, though inside she was relieved. "Yeah, well then you better have a good reason for bringing me out here in the cold like this."

"Oh, there's a good reason, trust me!" Minori exclaimed, nodding vigorously.

The model's face then turned to one of curiosity. "What is it then?"

Minori, confident until now, suddenly shrank into herself a little, her face turning red quick. "Well umm…. I-I wanted to say… Uh…"

"Yes?"

"Umm, T-That I have… have…" Minori managed to get out.

"Alright, it looks like you're having trouble." Ami pointed out. "Well, it turns out that I have something I would like to tell you too. Would you like me to go first?"

Minori, surprised by this, nodded and said, "Uh, yeah. Okay."

Ami took a deep breath to try to calm herself down. "Okay. Here's the deal. You probably know from news or the Internet or stuff like that I've had girlfriends as well as boyfriends before.

Minori nodded, her hope rising.

"And so I'm no stranger to feeling something for a girl. But I have feelings for you that I've never felt before, not with any other girl or guy. You're special. Special to me. And I know you've never felt anything for a girl before, but I want to be the one with the privilege to be by your side. I want to be the one you love. I understand if you don't feel this way, but I just—"

Ami was interrupted by Minori's fierce hug. The bluenette, shocked at first, quickly melted into the hug, feeling Minori's warmth flood her body as she hugged her back.

"I have feelings for you too" was all the athlete whispered while they hugged, tears streaming down her face.

Ami felt her heart soar high at those words. She nodded slowly, not wanting to break this embrace. Eventually though, Minori broke the hug and took a step back.

"Okay. I don't know exactly what I want, but I know that I want you to be there." Minori explained, wiping away her tears. "So um, would you be my girlfriend, Ami?"

Ami couldn't believe how cute Minori looked when she asked her to be her girlfriend. The model stepped forward and pulled the redhead into another, gentler hug. "Of course, you musclehead." She said with a giddy smile on her face.

"Thank you." Minori whispered as she hugged back.

They stood like this a little longer than the first one, just enjoying the warmth and touch of each other. When Ami pulled away, Minori was confused, for she wanted to keep hugging Ami forever. However, the model made up for it when she said "Let me walk you home" and offered her hand. Minori gladly took Ami's hand and they began walking back towards town.

* * *

The cute couple walked down the street together, their hands intertwined. Minori couldn't stop blushing, while Ami had this stupid grin on her face. _"Thank God no one can see us, or this would be so embarrassing"_ thought Minori as they walked. Ami saw the blush on her new girlfriend's face and squeezed her hand to reassure her. Minori looked at the model with a grateful smile. They both laughed a little, enjoying each other's company.

When they finally reached Minori's front door, the redhead turned to face the model. "Thank you for walking me home" She said with a sweet smile.

Ami returned the smile. "You're welcome, Minori."

They stood there holding hands, wondering who would make the first move. It was Ami who was the first to move, but not in the direction that the athlete was expecting.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" She said, pulling away.

"See you tomorrow" said Minori, a little disappointed.

Ami turned and began to walk back towards the street.

Minori's heart picked up as she knew she couldn't leave it like this. _"No, wait… I'm not ready yet."_ She ran down the steps back towards the model.

"Ami, wait!"

The model turned around in time to have Minori crash against her, mashing her lips onto Ami's. The bluenette was stunned for a quick second, but then the feeling of Minori's lips took over and Ami pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Minori wrapped her arms around the model's lean neck, getting as close as possible. Neither of them wanted this kiss to end. Their little world seemed so much brighter during this euphoric state. Everything was perfect.

When the need for oxygen was eventually too great, they pulled apart after what felt like an eternity, looking lovingly into each other's eyes and panting hard. After regaining their breath, Ami's stupid smile returned. "Wow. If I had known you tasted that good, I would've done this a long time ago." She snickered at her girlfriend.

Minori's blush came back with amazing speed. "Shut up."

Ami winked flirtatiously at her. "Hehe. I'll meet up with you tomorrow morning, okay?'

"Okay."

Ami leaned up and planted a kiss on Minori's forehead. "I love you."

Minori's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. "Y-Yeah, me t-too."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ami." The redhead quickly turned around and walked back up the steps.

The model shined a brilliant smile as she turned and began the walk home. _"She's still so unsure of herself. It's okay though, I'm sure she'll get through it in time. And I'll be there for her every step of the way."_

* * *

 **A/N:** I'll admit, this one was a little tough for me to write. I went back through it twice and changed some things here and there, and I seriously feel that I put together a decent chapter here. I wrote this almost all in one day, so I was just pouring ideas out of my head and onto the page. I wanted to get their relationship off the ground before I started taking my time a little. I hope you all like it.

So please read and review, and let me know what you guys think. Wouldn't mind seeing some follows or favorites, in fact they're welcome! So thanks again, see you next time folks!


	5. Chapter 5: Secret Relationship

I will be adding parents for Minori here in this chapter. I'm sorry I didn't add them sooner, as I'm still figuring out where I want to take this story a little. All I know is that I'm adding them for use in the story's plot. These will be OC, but the rest are still owned by the creators of Toradora. After doing research, I found out that Minori had a younger brother, which I either didn't know about or completely forgot. So I'm sorry to say that I will not be including him in this story. I just have too much on my plate already to come up with a place for him too, this is not anything against his character. Anyway, onto the story!

* * *

Minori awoke to the sound of movement downstairs, groaning silently to avoid the inevitable task of getting up. She knew that she had school today, as it was a Friday, but couldn't find a single reason to get up and go.

Then the events of the night before came back to her, and she nearly leapt out of bed realizing that she had an excellent reason to go to school. That reason was a certain tall blue-haired girl she was undoubtedly in love with, even if the athlete didn't admit it to her yet.

Coincidently, Minori's phone buzzed at that time and she opened it up. It was a message from Ami, as if she knew the redhead had been thinking about her.

 _Good morning, beautiful ;)_

Minori giggled with pure happiness at the loving affection being shown to her in the way of a Good Morning text, and began to type her reply.

 _Good morning to you too_

She hit the Send button and set her phone down to jump in the shower. She turned on the water and let the refreshing liquid wash over her, fully waking her up. By the time she had gotten out, her phone showed a new message from her girlfriend. Minori plopped on the bed wrapped in a towel, with a towel still over her wet hair, and opened up the text.

 _Wanna walk to school with me? I can be ready in about 20 minutes._

Minori quickly typed her reply.

 _I'd love to. So would the ghosts. OOOOOOOOOOOh… Spooky…_

Minori laughed lightly at her own joke, getting up to dry her hair and get dressed. Before leaving the room, she stopped to look at Ami's reply.

 _Hahaha… Okay, you're cute_ _. See you in a few_

Minori quickly typed _Okay_ before shoving her phone in her bag and running down the stairs.

Mr. and Mrs. Kushieda were in the kitchen, cooking breakfast for Minori and themselves. Akane Kushieda was a shorter woman with pink hair and milky skin, definitely the one their daughter took after physically. Minori's father, however, definitely gave Minori her personality, as Haruo Kushieda could often be seen with the same mischievous look in his eyes that his daughter had, though his was dulled a little with age.

Minori bounded into the kitchen just as her parents were putting the food on the table. "Good morning!" She said as she said down and immediately began digging in, not wanting to waste any time.

Her parents, noticing the difference in her this morning compared to normal school mornings, looked at each other and sent silent messages over who would be the one to question Minori. Eventually, Haruo gave in and turned to his daughter as the married couple sat down at the table.

"So, honey" Haruo said with a mischievous smile, "Why so eager to go to school this morning?"

Minori paused in between bites for a second, considering how to handle this situation. Then she looked up and gave a megawatt smile. "No reason. Today just feels like a good day!"

Her father, not buying that claim, pushed a little more. "You sure you don't have a BOYFRIEND or something waiting for you?" He said, his eyes dancing playfully.

The redhead flinched, and that was all that Haruo needed.

"That's it, isn't it? You have a boyfriend now! And you decided not to tell us?" He exclaimed, feigning hurt.

"Well, we just got together and I wasn't thinking about it too much." Minori said to defend herself.

Akane now decided to interject. "Well, when can we meet him?"

Minori, sensing where this was going, was trying desperately to figure a way out of this situation. "Umm, soon I guess."

Haruo nodded in agreement. "I hope it's soon. Tell him as much for us, will you?"

Minori nodded hesitantly. "Okay, I'll do that."

The redhead finished her meal and ran upstairs to grab her bag, pulling it off her bed and then plunging back down the stairs to fly out the front door.

"I'll see you guys later!" She exclaimed to her parents on the way by.

"See you tonight, Minori."

"See you later, pumpkin."

Minori shut the door behind her and flew down the sidewalk to Ami's place.

* * *

Minori finally was able to stop at Ami's gate to catch her breath. She gripped the gatepost, trying to bring her heart rate down while contemplating how best to break the news to her girlfriend later on.

She passed through the gate and up to Ami's front door. She resolved to maintain her composure when speaking to the model. She stepped up to and knocked on the front door, not even 10 seconds passing by before it opened to reveal the bluenette. She was all dressed in her school uniform and Minori couldn't help but notice for the first time how the uniform hugged her luscious curves and was tight in all the right places. The athlete's resolve crumbled, and it was all she could do not to stare.

Unfortunately for her, Ami caught the redhead mentally drooling for her. She flashed her a knowing smile, reveling in the fact that her new girlfriend was checking her out. "Like what you see, Mi-no-rin?"

Minori's face turned crimson, and her temperature rose fast. "U-U-Um, yes. I-I do."

Ami's smile grew, victorious. "Hmmm. Well, you look ravishing as well." She moved closer to Minori, wrapping her arms around the redhead's waist.

"Uhhh… T-Thank y-y-you." Said Minori, trying unsuccessfully to escape from the model's vice-like grip out of embarrassment.

Ami, though pleased with Minori's responses, noticed how uncomfortable Minori was at the moment and decided that that was enough teasing for now, releasing Minori.

The redhead relaxed a little, but something inside her didn't want Ami to let her go. However she ignored this for now, instead coming back to reality.

Ami leaned down and grabbed her bag by the door. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. We better go, or we might be late."

"True. I can already picture Kitamura's face. I'd rather avoid that lecture." Ami groaned.

Minori giggled lightly at the thought of the vice-president's expression while he ragged on them. "He would definitely be pissed."

Ami shut and locked the door, then bounded up to Minori and quickly held her hand. Minori flinched, quickly pulling her hand away.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ami asked, confused and a little hurt.

"I, um, I wanted to talk to you about our whole relationship thing."

Ami took this in for a second before responding. "I see." She said, deflating fast. She began to walk ahead of Minori.

Minori, realizing the implications of what she just said, quickly corrected herself while catching up to the bluenette. "No, no, no! I didn't mean like that. I meant… the whole 'public affection' thing."

Ami gave her a confused look. "What do you mean, public affection?"

Minori took a deep breath. "I mean, I want to keep our relationship secret. Just for now."

Ami was a little incredulous. "Secret?! Why?" She had never had gone out with someone so timid that they wouldn't want people to know about them.

"I just don't want people to know yet. I don't want to be treated differently or talked to differently just because I'm dating a girl."

The model gave an understanding look. "Okay, we'll keep it to ourselves for now then. But who are you afraid would judge you?"

"Everyone at school. Not to mention I'm afraid of what my parents would say…"

Minori started to literally shake from the fear of her parent's opinions. Ami stopped walking and took the athlete into an embrace.

"It's okay," Ami soothed, rubbing her back. "They won't split us up. There is no way I will let anyone take you away from me. I won't let them end what we have." Minori nodded, trying hard not to cry into Ami's shoulder.

"But, what do we have? Is there any way to know for sure if this relationship is real?"

Ami contemplated this while in the hug. Suddenly, she got a great idea. The model pulled back and smiled. "I think I may have a way…"

Minori, surprised at the model's quick response, said, "Yes?"

The bluenette leaned back in and whispered flirtatiously, "Let me take you out on a date."

Minori's heart skipped a beat. "W-What?"

Ami leaned back to look in the redhead's eyes again. "Let me take you out. Maybe tomorrow?" She asked, her violet-blue eyes glinting with hope.

Minori gave a look that said she was considering it, when in reality her physical representation of love was jumping for joy. _"She wants a date! Say yes! Come on, say yes! But wait, what if someone sees us? Aw, to hell with that. I already have nothing to do, and I don't want her to think I don't care."_

Ami began to lose hope and started dropping her gaze, already guessing what the answer will be based on the long silence.

"Okay, I'll do it."

Ami's head shot up in surprise. "Huh?"

Minori flashed her brilliant smile that the model loved so much. "Yes, I will go on a date with you."

Ami's expression jumped from depressing to pure ecstasy in the blink of an eye. "Perfect! Don't worry about details, I will take care of everything." The bluenette assured.

Minori chuckled a little. "Okay, if you say so."

Ami, feeling a tug on her heartstrings, suddenly longed to kiss the athlete passionately. "Hey Minori, are you okay with a kiss right now?"

Minori blushed a little, then looked around. "Um, yeah sure as long as it's—"

Minori never finished her sentence, as Ami stepped forward and pulled her into a passionate kiss, wrapping her arms around the redhead's waist. Minori put her arms around the model's neck, pulling her even closer. As she was being kissed, her mind was trying to fight the feelings washing over her.

" _Damnit, someone can see us! Make her stop! Quick!"_

But Minori's body wouldn't respond to the demands of her brain, as it was now running on pure emotion and carnal desire. She could feel the heat of the model's body against the brisk cold. Ami's tongue demanded entrance into Minori's mouth. Minori, not entirely in control at the moment, opened her mouth slightly, allowing the model's tongue to invade and begin a battle for dominance with Minori's. The redhead moaned lightly, much to Ami's delight.

Little did the two girls know that Minori's rational thought about being watched was correct. Just around the corner from where they were making out, a blue-haired boy with glasses was peaking around, silently cheering them on. _"I can't wait to tell Ryuuji about this."_

* * *

By the time the girls had reached school, Kitamura had already arrived and secretly informed Ryuuji of the situation. Both boys were sitting in their homeroom before class waiting for the couple. When they walked in, they saw Kitamura's smug expression on his face while Ryuuji gave a knowing look. Both girls flinched inwardly at their looks, fearful that they may know their secret, but recovered in an instant and went over to sit by them.

Kitamura leaned forward, the grin still on his face. "So, what took you two so long this morning?"

The girls both went red. After quickly exchanging a look, Ami was the one able to speak out of the shock.

"U-Umm, we were just- just… just a little late, is all." The bluenette stammered. Minori nodded her head vigorously in agreement to the boys.

"Oh really? Just late? Minori, you are never late. Same with you, Ami. So what happened on this particular morning?"

Kitamura's smug expression and constant questions were wearing down the resolve of the two girls. For the second time in the last couple weeks, Minori was waging an internal struggle within herself.

" _It's obvious he knows something. But how much does he know? I don't want either of them to know yet."_

The redhead stole a glance at the model, who seemed to be in the middle of a similar struggle. She looked up at Minori and gave her a reassuring smile.

Ryuuji, having stayed out of the conversation to begin with, noticed how uncomfortable the girls looked and finally spoke up in their defense.

"Yusaku, lay off. You're just interrogating them." He spoke in a gentle manner.

Kitamura, having had his fun for the time being, backed off. "Alright, alright. I'll stand down for now. Don't think I'll just let this go though." The student council vice-president said with a sly grin.

Both girls left to their respective seats while Ryuuji slumped his shoulders, rolling his eyes at Kitamura in exasperation.

"You didn't have to be so upfront with them about it. If they don't want to tell us yet, then we can't force them to."

Kitamura shrugged. "I know. It's just I'm happy for them. I don't want them to feel any different around us. Plus I'm a little offended that they don't trust us enough."

Ryuuji put a hand on his shoulders. "Give them some time. This is big for them and not everyone will be okay with it like we are. They'll tell us when they are ready."

The vice-president nodded. At that time, the teacher walked in and the lesson began as the bell rung.

* * *

 **A/N:** I completely apologize with the amount of time this chapter took compared to the previous ones. There are many reasons for this, mainly stressing about school and the joys of being in college with all the homework. But another reason is that I just couldn't decide how I wanted to write this. Writer's block was hounding me for like a week, then after that I just had no motivation to type for a few days. Finally, I got on and had to finish this chapter for you all. So here it is, I'm not immensely proud of this chapter but it's not bad.

Oh, and the mother's name means "brilliant red" (for obvious reasons), and the father's name means "spring man" (sort of meant to hint at his light personality). If I'm wrong about the names, please tell me. Please read and review, let me know what you think!

Next chapter is the first date. I look forward to writing it so much and now that we are heading into our last week of classes and finals the week after, I have a lot of time to write in between studying.

See you next time, folks!


	6. Chapter 6: First Date

Hey guys. Before we start, I just wanted to take a quick sec and thank all those who have followed and favorited my story so far. It means quite a lot to me and helps me to keep writing. The reviews also are a major confidence booster, thanks to the select few who have chosen to review my humble story. You know who you are:

Remiel1437

Dragondemolition

I especially owe the last user as he helped me gather the confidence to get this story on the net for all of you and I bow down to his wisdom. Thank you. Anyways, on to the story!

* * *

The two girls were walking home, the sun already setting. After their morning interrogation, Minori and Ami managed to survive the rest of the day without too much questioning from Kitamura. Even during lunch, the vice-president restrained himself from going too overboard. After the final bell had rung, the girls said goodbye to the two boys and walked to Ami's house together, conversing and sending the occasional quip at one another.

They soon arrived at the model's place. Minori followed the bluenette up the steps, stopping as she unlocked the door.

After stepping inside and setting her bag down, Ami turned back towards her girlfriend. "Would you like to come inside for a while?" She asked.

Minori shook her head. "I can't. I have a ton of work to do, and YOU have to plan our date." She said with a big smile.

Ami laughed a little, amazed that she even had to remind the model. "Yeah, I know. I have to take the time to make it perfect, or it won't be good enough for you." She said in a loving tone.

This made Minori blush the same color as her hair. "Silly. I'm with you, it's already perfect." She smirked lovingly.

Ami, suddenly overjoyed, leaned in and gave Minori a gentle kiss, one that expressed the love she felt for her. The redhead gave a quick squeak of surprise, but soon kissed back. When they broke apart, Ami pulled back with a blush and said, "Um, after our date, would you maybe want to stay over with me for the night?"

Minori's eyes widened a little, as she knew this could only lead one of two ways. "I have to ask my parents first, but…"

" _If that's what she wants, am I ready? Hmm, I'll see how our date goes and then decide it when we get back here tomorrow night."_

"Sure. I'd love to stay over if I'm allowed to."

Ami smiled. "Okay. It's a deal then. I'll see you tomorrow."

The athlete leaned back in for a quick peck on Ami's lips. "I can't wait!" She exclaimed, pure happiness exploding from her features as she bound down the steps and back to the street, waving goodbye at her girlfriend along the way. The model blew a kiss and waved back until the redhead was out of sight, then retreated into her home to begin planning what she was hoping would be one of the best days of her life tomorrow.

* * *

It was a warmer day out than most. The sun shined brightly on the lively city as the crowds bustled about on the busy Saturday. On one of the busy street corners just outside the shopping district, a certain redhead was waiting for her date. She had on some tight jeans and a white blouse under her coat. She had done a little bit of makeup and fixed her hair to look at least decent for the model.

The night before, Ami had sent Minori a message about the details of where to meet.

 _Meet me on the edge of the shopping district tomorrow at 11:30. I promise you will have the best time ever tomorrow! I love you so much, and I can't wait._

 _Love, Ami_

After receiving that message, Minori jumped into bed and squealed like a little girl. She then remembered that Ami had wanted her to stay over, so she ran downstairs. When she found her parents in the living room talking while the TV was on, she bustled in quick.

"Mom, Dad, can I stay at a friend's house tomorrow night?" Minori asked quickly.

Haruo, sensing his daughter's excitement, cracked a smile. "Well, are you done with your homework?"

The redhead, expecting this, explained the situation. "I'm mostly done with my work. I just need to finish a few small things by next week. So, can I go?"

Haruo glanced at his wife, who gave a motherly grin for Minori and nodded towards her husband. Haruo gave a slight shrug. "I guess you're going then."

Minori jumped into her father's arms in joy. "Thank you, thank you! I love you guys!"

Haruo wrapped his arms around his daughter in a bear hug. "We love you too, munchkin."

Minori, having been released from her father's grip, ran over to give her mother a hug and kiss in thanks, then bolted back up the stairs to her room.

She was so excited for the date, she had a hard time falling asleep. When she woke up in the morning, the redhead glanced over at the clock. " _Oh, it's only 11:00. I got time to get there."_ She half-smiled as she fell back asleep. For a moment everything was peaceful.

Then Minori's eyes shot open. She flew up out of bed. _"Oh crap! I need time to get my outfit, do my makeup and my hair..."_

25 minutes of extreme brain power and flying movements that only a conditioned athlete could pull off later, Minori was standing in front of a couple shops. She wore a worried look on her face as she waited for her girlfriend, suddenly uncomfortable and shifting in place. _"What if I don't look good enough for her? What will she say?"_

Minori was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the slender model sneak up behind her. Ami sneaked up with a sly grin on her face, hoping to scare her fidgeting girlfriend. From her view behind the redhead, she could tell that Minori had uncharacteristically dressed up and tried to look pretty. Ami knew that Minori didn't need to do this, as the bluenette was perfectly happy with the way the athlete normally looks. The fact that she did it just for her made Ami all the happier.

When she was right behind her, Ami suddenly clapped her hands on Minori's waist. The redhead let out a loud squeak and jumped forward, flailing her arms in surprise and throwing a small glare at the culprit. Said culprit started laughing hard, holding her sides and throwing her head back.

"That's not funny, _baka_!" Minori exclaimed, a pouting look on her face.

"Yeah… it… is…" Ami managed to gasp out between laughs.

Minori's angry expression slowly melted away, as she knew it was a joke and she couldn't stay mad at the model. "So um, how do I look?" Minori mumbled softly, once again feeling very unconfident.

Ami, sensing the softness of Minori's voice, stopped laughing and looked at Minori with a soft smile. _"She looks perfect."_ "You look radiant, like an angel descended from Heaven. Perfect."

Minori's face grew redder with every word. "You mean it? I couldn't be perfect compared to you." Minori said in an unsure tone. Ami herself was dressed in a similar pair of tight jeans and a purple button-up shirt with the top button undone, showing the redhead just enough to let her imagination run wild. She was standing in some casual heels. All of these revelations were short-lived, as Ami flashed a vicious glare at Minori.

"Do not put yourself down like that!" Ami nearly shouted at her. "You are perfect! You shouldn't compare yourself to me. I'm not naturally beautiful like you are. I have had a few things done to make myself look prettier. You could have come here in plain clothes and have just woken up, and I would still find your natural beauty breathtaking. Never compare yourself to others, they don't hold a candle to your looks." The model finished, her blush evident but her eyes remained serious and caring.

Minori stood back in shock, fear evident in her features. Ami, her heart breaking a little in guilt for yelling at her, walked over and held the redhead close to her chest. "I'm sorry. It's just that I mean it when I say you are beautiful now. Don't ever change, please?" The model pleaded.

The redhead looked up at Ami, giving her a joyous smile. "Okay." She leaned up and planted a soft kiss on the model's cheek. She pulled away just as quickly as she came up, a slight blush of embarrassment. "Thank you." Minori whispered, looking anywhere but in her girlfriend's violet eyes.

Ami touched her cheek where she was kissed tenderly, as if to contain the love placed there and make it last forever. She smiled dearly once again and released the athlete from her grip. "It's okay. Alright, enough with all this sad talk. Ready to get this date going?"

Minori wiped the unshed tears from her eyes for a quick second, then flashed her signature megawatt smile. "Yosh! I'm ready!"

Ami nodded. "Let's go then."

The model grabbed Minori by the hand and led her down the street. Over the next hour, she led the redhead to various stores, buying whatever their hearts desired. Minori was initially concerned over money, but Ami assured her that she would pay for everything. The redhead, not wanting to be a burden or a moocher, fought against this for a while, but the bluenette would hear none of it and refused to take no for an answer. So Minori begrudgingly dropped the topic.

After their little shopping spree, the couple decided to stop by a quaint little café for lunch. They walked in and sat down in a little booth in the corner. The waitress came up shortly after to take their orders. When the waitress walked away, Minori was the first to speak up. "Alright, I'm paying this time. You already did all the buying for me earlier, so now it's my turn to treat you." She ordered with a sly grin.

Ami leaned back, chuckling. "Alright, that's fair."

"Good. Speaking of which, where did you get all that money in the first place? From modeling?" Minori inquired.

"Why, of course." Ami said. "How do you think I'm able to live by myself?"

Minori suddenly had a thought off of that statement. "Then where are your parents?"

Ami's happy expression suddenly went rigid, her face turning stone cold. "I have no parents." She seethed.

Minori, noticing the sudden change, treaded carefully. "What do you mean? Everyone has parents."

Ami crossed her arms over her chest in a pouty expression. "Well, not me." She said, glaring at the ground.

"Why not?"

"I just don't, okay?"

"Oh come on, there must be more to it than that."

"Well, there's not, okay?!" Ami nearly shouted.

Minori practically shrunk in her seat, her face expressing pure fear as she tried to put some distance between herself and Ami.

When Ami looked up and saw her girlfriend's face, her anger evaporated instantly and was replaced with a mix sorrow and fear. Fear of losing the best thing to happen to her in a long time, maybe even ever.

Ami leapt across the table with apologetic tears in her eyes, reaching out to grab the redhead's hand. "I'm so sorry! I-I-I didn't mean to yell at you. I just…"

The model slipped over to Minori's side of the booth and wrapped her arms around her. Minori struggled a bit against her, but Ami soothed her to calm her down. Finally, she began explaining.

"My parents were great for the first part of my life. But when I signed my first modeling contract and started to get really famous, they grew greedy. They cared more about the money I made rather than caring about me. When I did get into relationships, my parents never approved, saying I should be focusing on my modeling career. They especially hated it when I started dating girls as much as boys, saying things like it wasn't natural and I should just stick to boys if I was gonna date. The last relationship I had with a girl was forcibly broken up by my parents, and when that happened I snapped. I couldn't take their selfishness anymore, so I packed up everything and left. And that's how I ended up here, meeting all of you guys."

Minori moved to ask another question, but by then the waitress had arrived with their food. Ami moved back over to her side of the table and they ate in silence. After the couple was done eating, they paid for their food and walked out of the café.

For the next couple hours they walked about the city, checking out random little shops along the way. They didn't care where they went, so long as they went together. When the sun was finally starting to set, Ami told Minori that she had one more spot for them to go to together. Minori, a little confused and curious, nodded her head as Ami began to lead her up the hill. When they reached the top, Minori emerged from the brush around the peak to see quaint little bench sitting right by the edge and overlooking the entire town bathed in colors or red, orange, yellow. Basking under a warm sunset to signal the end of the day. Minori stared in wonder at the brilliance radiating from below. Ami stepped forward, not noticing the wondrous look on the redhead's face, and took a deep breath, sudden memories of a family flooding through her mind. A man and woman, clutching the hands of a little girl.

When the memories faded away slowly, the model turned around and saw that Minori still had her façade of childish wonder and amazement about her. The bluenette giggled lightly, snapping her girlfriend out of her trance.

"It's so beautiful up here. I never knew there was a spot like this in the whole city." Minori exclaimed. Ami beckoned for the athlete to sit on the bench with her, which she did and grabbed the model's hand. They both just sat there and soaked in the light and warmth together. Finally Ami got up and walked to the edge.

Still not facing Minori, she began to speak. "My parents took me here when I was little, long before I became famous. It is still one of my favorite memories of my childhood. I remember being so happy, I remember them being happy, the happiest I have seen them to this day." Ami sighed heavily, the wind tossing her hair around.

"I may not like how I left my parents the way I did, but I sure do not regret coming here. If I didn't, I wouldn't have met all the wonderful friends and people here. I wouldn't have met you, the one girl I have never been more sure of my feelings about. You make me want to be a better person and bring out the best qualities in me. I'm constantly happy, smiling and laughing around you. I now live to make you smile or laugh. My life now revolves around you and I still wonder how it all managed to change in such a short amount of time."

Minori stood up as Ami turned to now face her. "I know that you're still unsure about us and about what you mean to me. Let me tell you, you are the best of me. I had one of the best days of my life today, and it's all thanks to you. I'm now confident that we can make it. I will never stop loving you and I will always belong to you. I just hope that you feel the same about me after today. I hope today has shown you that we can work, and that I will never leave you."

Minori, now in full-blown tears, walked up to the girl and pulled her hard into a passionate kiss. Unlike the gentle ones before, this kiss was deep, intimate and hurried, wanting to convey all the feelings that the redhead had kept bottled up until today. Ami melted into Minori's arms, pulling her closer and allowing their warmth to collide and mix together. Their kiss lasted until the sun finally drifted below the hills and shrouded the town and hill in growing darkness.

When they broke apart, the two stood in each other's embrace for a while, savoring their warmth. They looked down over the town, absorbing as much of the evaporating heat from the sunny day as they could. Finally, Minori said three words that made the rising moon glow even brighter:

"I love you."

Ami's grip tightened as she looked over at her girlfriend wide-eyed.

Minori looked back at her with her charismatic smile. "I love you, Ami. I hope we can be together for as long as we can."

Ami leaned in quick and pecked Minori's lips. "You dummy, I'll be with you forever. Nothing will change that." She whispered with a goofy smile.

Minori grabbed the back of the model's head, pulling her in for another kiss. This one was gentle, their first real kiss after both had finally confessed their feelings fully.

When they broke apart, Ami asked the question that burned in her mind all day. "So are you free to come over tonight?"

Minori gave an excited nod. "Yep! I'm A-Okay to stay over with you."

Ami grabbed her hand once again. "Well, then let's go." She said with a smile as she began to lead the redhead back down the hill.

* * *

The front door swung open as the two girls went inside the house and took their coats off. "Go ahead and make yourself at home, I'll get us something to drink quick." Ami explained as she went into the kitchen.

Minori took her shoes off and stepped into the living room. It was normal enough, with a couch, flat-screen TV, and a chair or two. She sat down on the couch, sitting almost robotically so as to take up as little space as possible.

Suddenly, a voice sounded coming from the kitchen. "Hey, I'm making some tea. Would you like some?"

"Sure." Minori sounded back.

A few minutes later, Ami walked into the room carrying two steaming cups of tea. She handed one off to the redhead and sat her own cup down on the coffee table in front of the couch. She sat down beside Minori and laid back. The athlete still sat stiff straight in her spot.

Ami shot her an amused look. "You can lay back if you want." She said.

Minori took on an immediate blush, putting her tea down and sulking a little as she fell back. Ami grabbed the remote off the coffee table and turned the TV on, flipping through the channels. Minori grabbed her cup again and sipped her tea softly. While passing channels, Ami passed one playing a romantic comedy. Smiling to herself a little as an imaginary light bulb went off in her head, she flipped back to the rom-com and put the remote down as she slid over to cuddle next to the redhead.

Noticing the sudden change in mood and position for her girlfriend, Minori's blush rose a few shades of red. Ami smirked as she snuggled her head into the athlete's bosom. Minori, feeling the warmth of the other girl and her own heartbeat rising, slipped her head down to lay lightly on top of the model's. The movie wore on, as the two girls began to hold hands. Eventually the film ended, with the all-so-typical ending of all romantic movies that had both girls holding back tears.

After Ami turned the TV off, she looked up to meet eyes of the redhead. They slowly closed the last bit of distance between them until their lips met softly. As time passed, the kiss got more passionate and chaotic. Ami moved around so she could sit in the redhead's lap, never breaking the kiss. Minori moved her hands to Ami's luscious hips in the heat of the moment while the model wound her hands through the athlete's hair. They sat like this and let the kiss evolve, Ami eventually moving Minori's hands to settle on her butt.

After a few eternities, Ami broke off the kiss and got up, grabbing the redhead's hand as she led her to the bedroom. They walked in and the model whipped Minori around, wrapping her in another passionate kiss as they fell onto Ami's bed. The model quickly straddled the poor redhead, who was totally under her mercy. The bluenette seductively moved her kisses down Minori's neck, biting softly every so often. This sent a shiver of pleasure through the athlete's body every time. Ami moved Minori's blouse up slowly to reveal the red bra underneath.

"Mmm, this is sexy…" The model purred softly, rubbing the bra softly. Minori groaned, slightly intoxicated with pleasure. The model sat up to remove her own blouse, then moved down to the redhead's jeans, trying to get them off.

"Wait!" The redhead yelped. The startled model looked up in confusion. "What's wrong, babe?" She said in a husky tone, her mind still driven by lust.

"Umm, can we wait to go all the way for now? I'm not ready to do that just yet." The redhead squeaked out, embarrassed and feeling like she was disappointing her girlfriend who just want to express her love for the athlete in the highest form.

"Of course, my love. If you do not want to do it yet, I will respect what the goddess commands and wait until you are ready." Ami said in exaggeration.

Minori giggled. "You keep it up with comments and names like that, and it will be near impossible to resist you." She exclaimed playfully.

Ami moved up to cuddle next to the redhead. "Well, only for you Minorin." She moved over to turn the lights off. "Goodnight, baby." She whispered as she kissed the redhead on the forehead lightly."

"Goodnight, Ami." Minori whispered back, as she fell into a deep sleep and dreamt of the beautiful woman now and forever at her side.

* * *

 **A/N:** Whoo! Finally done. Probably my longest chapter thus far, but easily my best in my opinion. I know I rushed a little at the end there, but I'm literally finishing this the night before I leave for Ireland, where I will be staying for a little over a week. So no posts in that timespan, but I will probably start working on the next chapter while over there. I hope that some of you will read and review if you can please, and I will see you next time, folks!


	7. Chapter 7: Coming Out

I would like to start by apologizing for my slight absence. Ireland was AMAZING! I am not ashamed to say that I got more than a little drunk a few times . I wrote about 700 words while I was over there, but couldn't find too much time to write. And when I got back, I spent so much time getting the normal hum-drum of life going again that I sort of pushed this to the side. I felt bad about it, but I had to find a job fast.

I thought a lot in that time about the future of this story and I think I have a rough outline of what I want to do. I'm also playing with the idea of making a few one-shots and maybe another story to continue this. I've seen the way other authors do this and I really like the idea. I also have other animes I want to write for, as I'm really liking writing for yuri couples. It's different and kind of exciting.

Anyways, onto the story!

* * *

The winter morning light shined through the bedroom window, illuminating the face of Minori as she continued to sleep soundly. Her model girlfriend, already awake, was lying next to her with her head propped up by her hand, smiling down upon the redhead. She reached over to move some strewn hair out of Minori's face, causing the athlete to shift in her sleep and sigh with a smile on her face. Ami giggled lightly, then turned over quickly to check the time. _7:15 AM._

" _Hmm, we have a little more time. I'll let her sleep, she's too cute to wake up anyways."_ The bluenette thought to herself laughingly. She turned back over to resume marveling over the redhead.

It was as if time ceased to exist, and only the two girls existed in this world. Like their only reason to exist was to love the other and to be loved. For the second time in the last week or so, Ami witnessed Minori looking like Heaven on Earth, even with bedhead and her make-up a little messed up, and wondered how she could be so lucky to have met a girl like her.

" _After all the shit and bad relationships that I've been through, I get this wonderful woman. With all her spirit, charms, mistakes and faults. I wouldn't change anything about her. She's my guardian angel, my saving grace."_

* * *

Minori sighed lightly in bliss as she cracked open her eyes. The first thing she saw was a pair of gorgeous violet eyes staring at her lovingly. She cracked a smile before speaking.

"I could get used to waking up to that every morning." She half mumbled groggily into her pillow.

Ami let out a light laugh, one that seemed to make the room shine just a little bit brighter for the redhead. "As long as it's for the rest of our lives."

Minori blushed a little before saying, "You got it."

Ami leaned down and lightly touched her lips to the redhead's. Minori reached up and cupped the model's cheek lightly. When they broke apart, Ami flashed a crooked smile at the athlete, sending them both into fits of laughter.

"So, where do we go from here?" Minori inquired once the laughing had ceased.

The bluenette's face took on a thoughtful gaze. "Well, now that we've admitted that we love each other," Ami purred seductively at Minori when saying the last part, causing a fresh round of blushes from the redhead. "I guess the next step would be to start letting people know." Minori's expression turned fearful for a moment, but then resigned to one of agreement.

"I guess we could tell a select few, but ONLY those few. I want to be able to tell my parents myself." The athlete insisted.

As if on cue, Minori's phone went off. She reached into her pocket to fish it out, then remembered it was on the nightstand by the bed. She saw that her father had texted her.

 _ **Good morning,**_

 _ **Just checking to see if you were up yet. Your mother and I decided that we want to meet this new boyfriend of yours. See if he can come over for dinner tonight.**_

 _ **Love, Dad**_

Minori tensed up, feeling like the air had been knocked out of her lungs. Ami immediately noticed, worry beginning to pile up. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"No no no…. This can't be happening. Not now…" Minori rambled as she sprang to her feet, her sanity decreasing by the second.

The model, now truly scared, got up quickly and rushed over to Minori grabbing her by the arms to prevent her from pacing the room. "Please tell me what's going on! I want to help you in any way I can." Ami pleaded.

Minori dropped her head, and she shook as she spoke. "Myparentswanttohavedinnerwithyou." She muttered softly.

Ami leaned in a little. "What?"

"MY PARENTS WANT TO HAVE DINNER WITH YOU!" Minori practically shouted, making the bluenette jump in surprise.

Ami was taken aback by this. "U-U-Um, this is certainly a surprise…" She laughed tentatively, her blush increasing.

Minori's shoulders were shaking under the model's hands. "What are we gonna do?" Minori's voice quivered, her eyes searching Ami's for any lingering hope.

Ami pondered an answer. Seemingly making up her mind, she steadied herself and her gaze as she spoke with certainty. "We must tell them. Tonight, at the dinner."

The redhead shook her head in wide-eyed fear.

Ami pressed further. "We have to, or else we will never be truly happy. I want for us to be together without that fear. And if anyone were to disapprove of our relationship, screw them then. They can't decide our happiness. I love you Minorin, and I want us to be happy together."

Minori, having regained some of her senses and seen the light, nodded slowly. She leaned up and pressed her lips to the model's, a silent promise between them.

"Alright, let's do it. For our happiness."

* * *

"So do you know why we're out here in the freezing cold?"

Ryuuji could only shrug at his glasses-wearing friend as they stood under a streetlight in the freezing cold. "All Minorin said was that she and Kawashima had something important to tell us, something that couldn't wait."

"Well, this better be important." Kitamura grumbled.

"It is, trust us." A voice sounded from down the sidewalk. The boys turned to see the two girls in their parkas walking down the sidewalk. Neither of the boys failed to notice that Ami and Minori were hand in hand.

"So, what had you two bringing us out into the freezing cold?" Kitamura questioned.

The redhead and bluenette exchanged nervous glances, then Ami took a deep breath.

"Um, Minorin and I are in love and are a couple now. We have been for the past week." Ami said clearly, a slight quiver in her voice.

There was a long awkward silence, one so agonizing to the young couple that it felt like they would go insane. Then Ryuuji and Kitamura both gave the girls a big shit-eating grin. Ryuuji stepped forward. "Ami, Minori. We knew." He said, the smile still plastered on his face.

The shock on the girl's faces was palpable, causing some chuckles from the two boys. Finally, Minori was able to ask the question on her and her girlfriend's minds. "How did you find out?"

Kitamura now reentered the conversation. "That morning when you two kissed on the way to school? I was just around the corner."

The athlete turned to Ami and swatted her arm lightly. "I told you we were being watched!"

Everyone laughed at that.

"So anyway, I immediately booked it to school and told Ryuuji, and we decided to keep your secret. Until you guys were ready to tell us." Kitamura explained with a warm smile.

Both girls, tears in their eyes, stepped forward and embraced their friends.

"Thank you." Minori said tearfully.

"Thank you so much." Ami choked out.

The boys both whispered their Thank You's and congratulations in the girl's ears, then moved to do the same for the other. When everything had been said, they all broke apart and Ryuuji spoke the next question on his and Kitamura's minds. "So what's next for you too?"

Ami and Minori exchanged looks of nervousness, then Minori said, "Telling my parents."

Kitamura spoke up. "How do you plan on doing that? This isn't something you can just casually bring up to them." He pointed out.

The girls both nodded their agreement. "Minori's parents want to meet her 'boyfriend' tonight. That's when we'll do it." Ami said with certainty.

"Wait, they want to have dinner with you?!" Ryuuji practically yelled. Kitamura had the same shocked look on his face as his blue-haired friend.

Minori, now more confident, stepped up. "I know that it's not the most ideal scenario. Trust us, we are both scared out of our minds. But if we don't do this now, then when will we ever do it?"

Both boys considered the situation as Minori continued, a tear coming to her eye. "I don't want to hide this from them any longer. I want to face them, tell them the truth. That I love Ami with all my heart and soul, and I want to be with her forever. I want them to accept that and accept us. But if they can't, I won't let them stop me from seeing her. As much as I love them, I won't let them take away the best thing to happen to me in my life."

Throughout this speech, Ami looked upon the redhead with renewed passion and love as her eyes twinkled with pride. _"She is willing to fight for me, even with her own family. I've never had someone fight for me like this before. God, what would I do without her?"_

Minori caught the model's gaze after finishing and blushed deeply. Ami smiled and leaned over to gently place a kiss on the athlete's cheek. "And I would do anything to keep you too, sweetie." She whispered in her ear, her breath tickling Minori's ear and sending chills down her spine. The redhead sighed a little in bliss and firmly squeezed Ami's hand, giving her a look of appreciation and love as she kisses Ami's knuckles.

Ryuuji and Kitamura, initially surprised by the athlete's strong words, now took on expressions of pride and joy. "Well, we will fully support you guys wherever and whenever. If you ever need to talk to us or need any place to crash, our doors are always open." Ryuuji proclaimed with a smile on his face, Kitamura nodding his consent as well.

The four friends all embraced one more time, their bonds now stronger than ever before.

* * *

Minori texted her father after the boys left, telling him that she would be back home with her "love" soon for dinner. She made sure to word it very specifically, so as not to assume in her phrasing that it was a guy or girl that she was bringing home with her.

The entire walk home, the nerves building up in the redhead began to show on her face as she walked. Ami shot the occasional sideways glance at Minori, worrying for her state of mind going into this. She was terrified too, but years of experience in modeling and being in stressful situations like these have taught her how to keep a lid on her fears. Minori looked like her head was about to pop off of her shoulders like a bottle cap. So the model did the only thing she knew she could do: she slipped her hand into Minori's and gave her all the support she could ever want and more. She wanted the athlete to know that she wasn't alone in this.

Soon enough, the girls approached Minori's front door. They stopped and took deep breaths before looking at each other one last time.

"Are you ready?" Ami asked tentatively.

"As ready as I'll ever be." The redhead squeaked out.

The model reached up and cupped Minori's face, rubbing her cheek with her thumb. She then leaned in and placed a loving kiss on the athlete's lips. When they pulled apart, Minori smiled.

"I will be right here. No matter what happens tonight, I will always be here for you. Come on, let's go." Ami said with a confident smile on her face.

Minori nodded, keeping ahold of the bluenette's hand as she rang the doorbell.

* * *

 **A/N:** Once again, I apologize for the time it took for me to write this. It was a little bit here and there for the longest time, until I sat down and typed the last 500 words or so. I know how I wanna write the next chapter, so hopefully it won't take as long. No guarantees though, as life is always busy. Thank you for all the support I've gotten, it's what keeps me going.

See you next time, folks!


	8. Chapter 8: Dinner Confrontation

Here's another chapter for all to enjoy! I'm still navigating through how I want to go about this, and most everything now is basically coming to me in tidbits of literary explosions in my brain. So I would be grateful if I could have an idea or two dropped on me about how you think I should progress.

R&R please, and I hope you like it. Onto the story!

* * *

A sniffling girl, her emotions plainly evident on her face, laid in the bed and continued to cry for all to hear. She didn't care anymore, as some of the most trusted people in her life had clearly turned their backs on her. There wasn't much in her life anymore that made it worth living.

One of the few good things left in her life, in the form of a tall blue-haired girl, was knocking softly on the locked door to the bedroom, saying soft words and trying to convince the emotionally devastated teen to open the door. But the redhead refused to budge, becoming swallowed up by her sadness and grief. As she lied there in the fetal position, she began to replay the episode that occurred just under an hour ago in her mind, wondering how it could all go wrong so fast.

* * *

 _ **45 Minutes Ago**_

The young couple stood expectantly outside Minori's door, wondering what fate awaited them inside. Ami had her hand in Minori's, trying her best to keep her nervous girlfriend calm.

The door opened, and a resounding silence filled the house. Haruo and Akane Kushieda stood in the doorway, looks of pure astonishment on their faces. Minori gave a terrified chuckle and weakly stuttered, "Sur-Surprise."

The redhead's parents stood frozen like this for a few seconds, then Haruo let out a tentative laugh. "Uh, okay Minorin. You've had your fun, now where's your real date?"

Minori's face went pale white. "Dad, this is my date. I would like you two to meet my **girlfriend** , Ami Kawashima." The athlete said, stressing the title her love possessed.

Ami now stepped forward, her already somewhat frizzled nerves now starting to show. "Um, hi there, Mr. Kushieda. Mrs. Kushieda." The model managed to get out as she offered her hand in a handshake fashion to Haruo.

Akane raised her head a little. "Wait, the famous model?" Ami nodded in response.

The older man hesitated at first, then stretched his hand out and grasped Ami's in a gentle manner. "Well, this may be slightly unexpected, but you are nevertheless welcome to our home." He said, a warm smile on his face.

Ami grew a big grin on her face. "Thank you, sir." She said politely before turning to Minori's mother. "Ma'am." She began to reach out her hand to Akane as well, but the woman quickly brushed it off, pretending to be in a hurry. "Well, now that we've all met, why don't we go to the table?" Akane proclaimed, then shooting the girls a dark look. This sent Ami into a state of confusion, wondering what had just happened.

Minori stepped up to the bluenette's side. "Well, that wasn't too bad."

"Maybe not with your father, but your mom seemed off." Ami pointed out.

The redhead nodded in agreement. "That was weird. Let's see how dinner goes."

The two girls, satisfied with their decision, went inside.

* * *

Dinner, for the first couple minutes, was deathly quiet. No one seemed to want to say a word as forks and knives clinked against their plates. The tension was thicker than fog around the table, nobody wanting to be the one to break it first.

Eventually, Haruo became the first to speak up. "So, tell us a little about yourself Ami."

Ami, nervous to talk about herself, reached for Minori's hand for support, firmly grasping it before speaking. "Well, like you guys said, I used to be a model full-time for a few years."

"That must have been a great life." Akane said neutrally.

"Yeah, but I eventually got tired of it and came here to Japan to finish out my education, go to high school like every other kid." Ami explained.

"And that's where you met our daughter?" The older man asked.

Ami's eyes met the redhead's and she smiled. "Yes, that's where I first met Minorin." She said softly. The girl in question smiled back, squeezing her hand a little. Haruo watched this exchange with a satisfied expression.

"Didn't the fame catch up with you eventually?" He eventually questioned.

Minori jumped in with excitement. "Yeah, but she handled it like a total boss! When this paparazzi stalker guy came and started snapping photos of her all over the place, she kicked his ass with a little help from Taiga! She was all like, _WHOOSH! PUNCH! KICK!,_ and he was crying like a baby from the beatdown he was given." Minori ranted with physical excitement, her hands waving around in an extravagant motion.

Ami started laughing hard, very amused with her girlfriend. "As bright a picture as she very cutely portrayed of me, it wasn't the only time or way something like that occurred. I can hardly go anywhere without being recognized." The model explained.

Minori, having calmed down a bit, turned beet red after being called cute and seemed to shrink in her chair a little from embarrassment.

Haruo, having laughed as well from Minori's visible interpretation, started changing topics a little. "So I have to ask. Is Minori your first girlfriend?"

Ami deflated a little in anxiety. "Um, no. I have had girlfriends before."

"Oh, is that so?" Akane had finally spoken up, with some venom in her voice as well. "So you're a lesbian?"

Ami looked a little confused with course this conversation was taking. "No, I've been bisexual my whole life. But after meeting your daughter and falling in love with her, I can assure you that there is no one I would rather spend my life with."

Akane sneered, her normally loving and calm expression twisted with contempt and hate. "At least, until you get bored with her."

"Mother! What the hell are you doing?!" Minori quipped, raising her voice in anger.

"Just looking out for your well-being, my lovely daughter." The older woman said sarcastically.

"Mother, she is my choice, not yours."

"Have you seen anything about some of the past relationships this witch has had? She's brought girls into the high life and showered them with gifts and meaningless possessions, then ripped the carpet out from under them and left hem broken!" Akane thundered, her voice echoing around the quiet house.

"Even so, she's changed since then. I know it, and I know that she'll never hurt me!" Minori said in defense of her stunned girlfriend.

"How can you be so sure? You've only been going out for what, a week?"

"And that week has been one of the best of my life." Minori said forcefully.

"How long before she dumps you like the rest of them, like yesterday's garbage?" Akane sneered,

Ami, having recovered from her shock, jumped from her seat. "I would never do that. I love Minorin with all my heart, just thinking about leaving her makes me sick!" She shouted.

"Alright ladies, let's calm down a bit." Haruo delegated, trying to restore the peace.

Akane shot a finger towards her husband. "Don't you dare defend this girl!" She accused, pure rage seething off of her. Her frightening glare sent shivers down Haruo's spine, leaving him speechless.

Akane resumed her attack on the girls. "Minori, you can't be so stupid as to think that I would ever allow this relationship to continue." She exclaimed.

Minori, already on her feet like her mother and girlfriend, took a step back, a shattered expression on her face. "W-What?"

"I forbid you from seeing this girl. I won't allow this to occur anymore!" Akane concluded, refusing to take a rebuttal.

Ami retreated to her girlfriend's side, supporting her. The model's presence imbued Minori with a newfound strength. She stepped forward again, refusing to back down. "No." The redhead said firmly, despite shaking in place.

Akane's face darkened ever further. "What did you say?" She whispered in a dangerous tone.

"No, mother. I will not allow you to take away the happiness and peace I have found with Amin." Minori stubbornly exclaimed.

"Well, then you're not my daughter. Get out." Akane seethed, her rage boiling over.

Minori felt her heart shatter in her chest. "W-Why? Why did you do this?"

"I refuse to have anything to do with you. Go live with your bitch girlfriend for all I care. I won't be letting you back into this house." Akane said with finality.

The athlete finally cracked, bursting into tears as she ran to the door, grabbed her coat, and flew outside, the tears falling in a trail behind her.

"Minori!" Ami yelled, trying to stop her girlfriend. But the redhead never heard it, disappearing into the night. Ami whirled on Akane, her face contorting to one of pure wrath.

"HOW DARE YOU!" She screamed, her finger pointing at the older woman. "How dare you speak to your daughter that way! All she ever wanted was for you to accept us. But you had to go and throw her out of her own home. You're her parents, she should trust you more than anything in this world, and you spit that trust right back in her face. You're right, she isn't your daughter anymore. I doubt she will be ever again after this. Goodbye, and I hope you understand the consequences of what you just did." Ami rushed to grab her coat and flew out the door after her broken girlfriend.

* * *

Ami rushed after her beloved redhead, trying to follow her footprints in the snow. All the while, her mind was in full panic mode. _"Oh god, where is she going? Please don't do anything rash, Minorin. I-I-I don't think I could take it if you hurt yourself, and I wasn't there to protect you…"_

The frantic model scurried around town, desperately searching for that familiar pink head. Eventually, the tracks seemed to end at a familiar sight. _"My flat…"_

Ami heaved a sigh of relief that this was where Minori was heading all along. She ran up to the door and opened it slowly. She was welcomed by the sight of Minori's shoes and parka discarded on the floor, boots still dripping from the melting snow. She then faintly heard crying coming from the bedroom, shattering her already broken heart. She kicked her shoes off and hung her own parka up along with Minori's, then the bluenette walked over to the bedroom door, only to find it locked.

"Minorin? Baby? Please let me in, let me help you." Ami pleaded with the athlete. But there was no movement made to unlock the door. "Minori, please. I'll do anything I can. But only if you let me help you."

Still no movement was heard. At this point, Ami slumped up against the door, her own tears starting to quietly spill out as she wept. _"All this has happened, and she won't even let me comfort her. She probably doesn't want to see me, not after the rift I just caused between her and her family."_

These thoughts plagued the model as she continued to cry long into the night, before eventually exhausting herself and falling asleep.

* * *

The morning light was harsh on Minori's eyes as she cracked her eyes open. She sat up in bed, still tired from crying until late into the night. She slipped out of bed in a daze, slinking to the bathroom.

When the athlete looked in the mirror, she almost didn't recognize herself. Her eyes were bloodshot, there were tear stains all down her face, her lips were cracked. _"God, I look hideous."_ Minori lazily thought to herself. She spent ten minutes making herself look at least decently presentable before moving out of the bathroom and to the bedroom door.

When she opened the door, the first thing she saw was Ami sleeping on the ground. The model looked no better than Minori, tear stains all over her face as well. This tore at the redhead's heart. _"She must have cried herself to sleep worrying about me. I'm so selfish…"_ Minori picked up the bluenette and carried her over to the bed, tucking her in. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." She whispers in her girlfriend's ear, kissing her forehead tenderly before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

Minori then set about to make it up to her love, making some breakfast and preparing a platter for her. The redhead also ate before taking the prepared meal to the bedroom. When she opened the door, she walked over and sat the tray with all the food on it beside the bed, before crawling in and curling up next to the still sleeping model. Minori got as close as possible until their foreheads were touching and Ami's breath was tickling her skin. She then wrapped an arm around the bluenette's waist, stirring the taller girl a bit.

When Ami opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the redhead lying next to her, an uncertain smile on her face. "Hey." She said softly.

Ami put on a worried expression. "Hey. Are you doing alright? I got so worried last night…" the model spoke shakily, her voice cracking and tears threatening to form in her eyes again.

Minori sighed, her misplaced guilt over the matter starting to show. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to shut you out like that. I just drew back completely and ignored everything and everyone, including the most important person in my life." She croaked, reaching out to cup the model's cheek. "And I can't apologize enough for that. I love you, I didn't want you to think that I was blaming you for what happened last night. When I found you outside the door this morning, it broke my heart to see all those tear stains on your face. I never want to see you cry, I'll fight the world to keep you from doing so. I just want you to be happy, and be happy with me."

Ami nodded her head vigorously with a shaky smile on her face, pulling the athlete closer and locking their lips together in a loving kiss, the kind that made all their worries and fears melt away like snow in springtime.

When they finally broke apart, the model whispered something to Minori, causing the redhead to nod her head proudly and with certainty. Minori then revealed the food for Ami and allowed the model to start eating. In the quiet of the room, their promise seemed to echo everywhere. It spoke:

" _I promise you, Minorin, that we will always be together. And that we will get through this. I'll stay by your side. Forever."_

* * *

 **A/N:** Whoo! That one took more thought and careful planning than I originally thought. I will be leaving for a week-long camping trip with family tomorrow, so I wanted to type the last 400 words or so and post this quickly. So obviously no updates during that time. Can't wait to see what you think of it.

See you next time, folks!


	9. Chapter 9: A Promise

What is up, readers! This update is LONG overdue. I apologize for this, the story once again got pushed to the side for school. Most of you can understand this, so hopefully the grudges aren't too real. Anyway, this is my newest chapter. A few things happen, but I am mainly using this to have a springboard to push the story forward from here. I will be trying to fix the development issues along with the holes in the story that irk me right now.

Not to say that this chapter isn't important, I just needed a stable part to start building off of. I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

After Minori jumped into the shower at the model's suggestion, Ami set about putting the finished dishes from breakfast in the dishwasher and fixing the flat. She pulled open the door to the pantry, checking out the contents inside. _"Not enough food to last us both here…"_

Next stop was the refrigerator and freezer. _"Not much better here. We're gonna have to go on a food run."_ The bluenette reasoned.

Ami stepped back into the bedroom. She listened to the water running in the shower as she made the bed and set up a second pillow placement, since there was no way she was having her girlfriend sleep on the couch. The model cleaned up the room last, after the rest of the house.

When she heard the door to the bathroom open, Ami turned to see Minori wrapped in a towel with another towel in her wet hair, the one around her body leaving nothing to the imagination. Despite the situation, the model couldn't help but swallow loudly and grow an ever-present blush as very inappropriate thoughts rushed through her brain. Minori noticed rather quickly and shyly turned to the side. "W-What? Is something wrong?" She asked quietly.

Ami shook her head viciously and smirked, throwing the dirty images into the back of her mind for the time being. "Not at all, you look very ravishing. You have no clue how many things I would love to do to you." She teased.

The redhead turned cherry-colored. "U-Uh, t-t-thanks. Wanted to point out my lack of clothes." Minori explained, trying to remain cheery. Despite such actions, a deep sadness befell her as she thought about the previous night again. Ami walked over and placed her arms around the athlete's shoulders, trying hard to not get distracted by the semi-exposed cleavage pressed against her front.

"Hey, it'll be alright. I can go over to your place later, grab some of your clothes." The model reasoned.

"But what about my parents?"

"I have a feeling that it's only your mother having a problem with us, your father was trying to stop the fight last night. I'll head on over there and see who's there. If it's your father, I can confirm it."

"And if not?" Minori questioned.

"Then I'll just buy you new clothes instead." Ami leaned back and cupped the redhead's cheek, feeling the latter lean into the touch. "Minorin, I don't want you to worry about your family right now. You should worry about yourself first, then fix things with the family."

There was silence for a moment, then the redhead nodded slowly, a small smile on her face and eyes shining gratuitously.

Ami smiled sweetly. "Good. You can wear some of my clothes for today."

"Are you sure they'll fit me? I might be a little out of your size." The athlete teased.

The bluenette giggled lightly. "You'll be fine, you have an adorable figure. Would you like to go shopping with me after I clean up? I checked earlier, and we seem to be in need of food, since I'll be cooking for my lovely girlfriend from now on."

"You mean your lovely girlfriend will help you cook, since she can't live here and not help out." Minori quipped back, absentmindedly rubbing the model's arm.

Ami's smile grew even wider. "I can live with that."

* * *

Life in the Kushieda household was uneasy after that fight. First Akane got so upset that she threw dinner away, tossed all the dishes in the sink and stomped up to the bedroom, locking the door behind her. When Haruo woke up on the couch the next morning, it was to the front door being slammed shut.

Now quickly approaching dinnertime once again, Haruo looked up from the paper he was reading in the living room as the doorbell rang. He checked the clock: 5:00. Hopefully Akane would come home soon, to a cleaned house with all the previous night's dishes cleaned and a floral appeasement by her husband bought earlier that day. Haruo put the paper down and moved to the door. It swung open to reveal a certain blue-haired girl, fresh from grocery shopping with her girlfriend.

"Ami?" Haruo looked around before ushering the younger girl inside. "You're lucky Akane isn't here, I don't think the house would survive the battle."

"Mr. Kushieda, I didn't come here for a fight. I actually came here to talk to you." Ami explained.

"Oh? Then you should probably sit down." Haruo gestured to the couch. Ami nodded her thanks and sat down with Haruo sitting in his previous spot opposite her.

"So what do you want to talk to me about?" The older Kushieda began.

"I only wanted to ask you one question, sir. One very important question." Ami stated.

"And that is?"

"What do you think of Minorin and I? Of our relationship?" The model hesitantly asked, bracing herself for the potential blowout.

Haruo took a solid minute before responding. When he did, he said, "I honestly have no qualms with your relationship. All it took was one glance to see just how filled with peace and happiness my energetic daughter was. That's all I've ever wanted for her, and I hope my wife will eventually see the same."

Ami glanced up at him and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Thank you. You have no idea how much that means not just to Minori, but to me as well. I hope that Mrs. Kushieda will start to see it too. You think her mind can be changed?" She exclaimed.

"I honestly don't know. I can try to persuade her, but I don't know how effective it will be." Haruo murmured, deep in thought.

"I guess that's the best I can hope for, thank you again."

"Oh dear, you don't have to thank me. You made Minori the happiest person on Earth, I should be thanking you."

Ami actually blushed a little at that. "I know, she makes me the happiest too. I was also wondering if I could take some of Minori's clothes home with me. We left so fast that we couldn't take any clothes with us and I have her wearing some of mine for the day."

Haruo nodded instantly. "Of course. Take as many as you need." He exclaimed.

Ami stood up and moved upstairs, grabbing a suitcase in Minori's room and throwing as many different kinds of clothes in as possible. When the container was near overflowing, the bluenette forced it shut and moved downstairs again, opening the front door. "Thank you again for everything, Mr. Kushieda. We'll try to be in touch as often as we can." Ami promised as she dragged the suitcase down the front steps.

"Of course. Any time you can spare, I'm willing to talk. Oh, and Ami?"

The model turned back around quizzically.

"You can call me Haruo."

Ami smiled and waved back as she hailed a cab and got in, Haruo waving back as the cab drove away.

With one worry off her mind, the bluenette suddenly had an idea. She moved forward to speak. "Can you take me to the shopping district please?" She spoke confidently.

"Sure thing, ma'am." The driver replied.

A plan already forming in her mind, Ami leaned back in her seat as the cab took off down the road.

* * *

It was already dark by the time the model arrived back at the flat. Pulling the suitcase and small gift bag out and paying the cabbie, Ami walked up the path and through the front door.

" _ **Tadaima**_. Minorin, where are you?" The bluenette called out.

"In the kitchen, my darling model." A sing-song voice sounded out from the depths of the flat, making Ami smile. She quickly hid her present under her bed and put the suitcase on the table in the middle of the bedroom, then moved to the kitchen where she saw Minori cooking in front of the stove, a lovely little apron around her waist that set the model's senses ablaze.

"Hello, dear." Whispered Ami in the redhead's ear, kissing her neck as she wrapped her arms around Minori's waist and tried to keep the desire out of her voice.

"Hey. How did everything go?" Minori asked.

"It went great. I got some of your clothes, and your father is completely supportive of us. Your mother, however, remains to be seen." Ami murmured mysteriously.

Minori sighed. "It's the best I can hope for right now." She leaned back into the bluenette's embrace. "Thank you so much for doing that for me. You are the best thing in the world right now." She said, whispering the last part in Ami's ear before pecking her cheek with a quick kiss.

Ami smiled as the redhead leaned back forward. "You are most welcome, my princess." She soothed, Minori's face reddening slightly at the affectionate nickname. They sat in comfortable silence, basking in each other's presence. After a minute or two (or an eternity, whichever came first), Ami moved even closer, pushing her breasts up against the other girl's back, causing a slight gasp to emit from the athlete's mouth before a smile graced her features.

"Mmm, you're very physical today." The redhead teased playfully, laying her free hand on one of Ami's arms.

The arms around Minori's waist tightened. "Well, how can I not with my beautiful girlfriend looking so hot today?" the model cooed huskily into the athlete's neck.

The redhead's eyes fluttered shut as she leaned her head back, a light moan escaping from her lips. Ami purred at the sound, her hands now starting gain minds of their own and began exploring Minori's body.

Right around the time the redhead's knees started to buckle, the food started to burn.

Minori's eyes flew open when the pungent smell hit her nose. She looked down, yelling, "Shit!" and, slipping out of the bluenette's arms, immediately grabbed the pan and threw it in the sink, turning the water on. All was silent as the air reeked of burnt food. Then Ami burst out into a fit of laughter, prompting Minori to do the same a moment later.

"I'll order some takeout." Ami said, moving in to give a quick kiss on Minori's lips before moving to the phone and dialing for the takeout place.

* * *

Minori was sitting upright on the mattress, waiting for the model to retire to bed after she was done in the bathroom. She took a look around the room, for the first time truly taking in the sights she remembered from the Taiga ordeal not too long ago. The small table in the middle with her unpacked suitcase in the middle, the desk with makeup and mirror next to the bed, the curtained closet across from the end of the bed, the small dresser right next to it. All of these details together put a little smile on her face, the crazy memories associated with this room.

" _Hard to believe that we witnessed 2 kids plan an eloping here, then I half discovered my feelings in this bed. So much in such a short time…"_

"Oh, Miiiiinorin…"

The red-haired girl snapped her head to the right, and her eyeballs nearly bugged out of their sockets while a pure crimson blush enveloped her face.

Ami was laying against the doorframe in a seductive manner, one leg bent with foot pushing against the frame, wearing an enticing nightgown that showed off the sexy lingerie underneath. A predatory smirk was on her face, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"You like what you see, darling?" The model murmured huskily.

Minori couldn't even form a comprehensive thought. Her mouth had dropped open and was now flapping up and down like a fish, indistinct sounds falling out of it. The model chuckled softly and made her way over to the bed, placing one finger under the redhead's chin and closing her mouth softly.

"I'll take that as a resounding yes." Ami said smiling before leaning down to place a chaste kiss on her lips.

Minori returned the smile and finally voiced her reply. "You look like a goddess."

Ami's own blush crept up her neck before she moved to sit in front of the other girl. "Thank you. I have a surprise for you."

The redhead twisted her face in confusion. "What surprise?"

Ami reached under the bed and pulled out the gift bag. She reached in and removed a small rectangular case.

"I wanted to get you something. Something meaningful. Open it."

The blue-haired girl passed the case over to Minori. The athlete took it and slowly opened it up, gasping at its contents.

Inside was a stunning necklace. The silver chain was polished perfectly, each individual link shining. But the real centerpiece was the tokens attached to the chain. A small UFO symbol, next to the symbol of a ghost. Both glinted up at her, having been crafted beautifully.

To some, it would seem like an odd choice to put on a necklace, but Minori was not most people. She looked up at the model, eyes wide in pure shock.

"I remembered hearing from the balcony at my summer home when you talked to Ryuuji, about how you wanted to see ghosts and UFO's. How if you could see them, that they were real, just like other things. So I got you this to show you that they are real, and so is my love for you. I never want you to doubt that." Ami explained nervously.

" _She's gonna think it's dumb…"_ The model jittered.

But Minori had gone misty-eyed during that speech, finally shedding a tear near the end. She dropped the necklace and case into her lap, threw herself forward and crashed her lips onto the bluenette's. It was not a lustful kiss, but a loving one, to show the great swell of affection she felt for her girlfriend at that moment.

"I love it." Minori said when they broke apart. "Can you help me put it on?"

Ami nodded. The athlete leaned back and grabbed the necklace, giving it to the model and turning back around. When she lifted her hair up, Ami unclasped the chain and resecured it around her girlfriend's lovely neck.

Minori turned back around, the tokens bouncing against her breasts.

"I love you." She exclaimed, her red eyes staring into Ami's violet ones with nothing but warmth and the utmost affection.

The model nearly swooned, finally hearing those words for the first time. She leaned forward to brush her lips against Minori again, smiling into the kiss.

After settling into bed alongside her love, Ami fell into a peaceful sleep to the words Minori had whispered into her ear after the lights were turned off:

"I love you Amin, and I always shall."

* * *

 **AN:** Hope you liked that! I liked writing this one, affirming love is one of my favorite things to write. Makes me feel all good inside. I don't have a foreseeable time to post the next chapter, as I just started one of the busiest semesters I've had yet. So not much time to write. When I get around to it, I will try to be as efficient about it as possible to get it out to you guy faster.

Hope you all have a great day! See ya next time, folks!


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